Operation Hector

Operation Hector (4 January 1970) was a covert operation carried out by the United States-supported Operation 40 against the Cuban Tropas. The Op 40 operatives succeeded in taking over a firing range from the Tropas in the classified action.

History
President Richard Nixon authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to help Operation 40 in their resistance against Fidel Castro's communist government in Cuba, and he dispatched planes, helicopters, and mortar teams to assist the Cuban exiles. On 4 January 1970 a team of 75 Op 40 agents were dispatched to take over a firing range from the Tropas, the soldiers loyal to the government. A large firefight erupted in the small training ground between the Tropas and Op 40, with Op 40 calling in air support from US airplanes (which dropped napalm) and mortar teams. Towards the end of the battle, a US helicopter was called in, and it proceeded to mow down several Tropas. In the end, 75 Tropas and 41 Op 40 soldiers were killed in an Op 40 victory. The US classified the operation due to its explosive nature, while Cuba also covered it up to avoid its people from panicking.